The Metempsychosis Project
by DegenerateStar
Summary: Issac Asimov once said "Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know - and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use it to destroy ourselves?Even if that is so, knowledge remains better than ignorance." I wonder if he every imaged we as human beings were capable of doing something so ungodly.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Its official I'm addicted to fanfiction, I can't stop the ideas from coming out of my head. This is partly my Dad's fault because we spent Fathers day watching blade runner, the million dollar man, and the original version of the Twilight Zone. This is going to be a standalone story and from what I've been told, since I haven't watched the show in a while, the show has taken a turn into the realm of Sci-Fi…so here's some Sci-Fi.**

* * *

_In 1939 Albert Einstein wrote a series of letters to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, stating that although he had no direct involvement in the Manhattan Project, he felt that his work as a scientist helped to pave the way for the creation of the atomic bomb. He observed that potential enemies of the US had the capability of making the bomb and made a recommendation that the US take precautionary measures to stop the threat before it happened by building their own bomb. He would latter call his recommendation in favor of creating the bomb, the greatest mistake of his life._

Rebirth

Two men sat opposite each other in a vintage home study illuminated by the soft glow of shaded lamps. The younger man watched the older gentleman as he sat across from him reading the government's proposition.

"What do you think of our proposal doctor? As stated in the file your subject has already been provided, the facility that you will work in has already been set up and in addition a group of trained and vetted staff members has also been assembled. But if you so choose, we can provide you with other candidates. So what is your answer Doctor? Can you deliver to us what your research theorizes."

The older man removed his glasses and stared the government agent down.

"If I agree, when can I start?"

The agent smiled "Immediately if you would like."

Doctor Calvin nodded and watched as the agent placed a quick call, confirming his agreement to the project. If he could pull off what they were asking him, he would usher in a new age of science, there would be no limit to mans outreach.

If he succeed he would revolutionize the entire world, he would revolutionize mankind.

"Alright Doctor, a car will be here in one hour and will escort you to our facility, you should use this time to gather all that you need."

* * *

Doctor Calvin stared down at his subject lying on the operating table surrounded by surgeons.

They had spent a month of non-stop work preparing for this delicate procedure, if they successfully pulled it off, then they were one step closer to their final goal.

He grabbed his surgical equipment and readied himself.

"Turn the subject over, It is December 26 2013, 1800hours,beginning 3rd phase of medical procedures, we will now remove the whole brain, brain steam, and spinal cord, estimated time of completion 8 hours 38 minutes."

* * *

Doctor Hank Calvin sat in front of the incubation cylinder as he listened to the soft hum of medical equipment and watched the monitor that showed the subjects vitals.

After almost 5 months of continuous work they had achieved the impossible, now they were all playing the waiting game to see if the entire procedure and the purpose of the project was a true success.

Hank stood up and moved to stand in front of the cylinder. As his eyes roamed over the subject they began to water.

The sight he was staring at was angelic, his life's work was finally brought to life and was on display in front of his very eyes. When reconstruction began he made sure to mirror every detail of the original subject as possible, the work the tissue artist rendered was flawless.

Hank pressed his hand against the warm glass of the cylinder.

"Won't you open your eyes for your father? It's time to wake up." Hank relayed in a soft tone

* * *

It was so quiet, so warm, and so peaceful. She felt weightless, it was like she was suspended and floating in the air.

Where was she? Who was she?

She needed something, someone wanted her to come back. Who wanted her to come back and where did they want her to come back too?

She couldn't move, she couldn't open her,…What were they called again?, they were used for seeing, she couldn't remember what they were called.

She didn't know anything, everything was new, she felt lost, she didn't belong here, she wasn't supposed to be here, something wasn't natural.

She couldn't breathe, everything hurt, she needed to escape, she needed to get back, she needed help, she had to wake up.

* * *

Doctor Calvin pushed the nurse's button as the heart rate monitor was going off the charts. Her blood pressure was rising. His thoughts were interrupted as two female nurses rushed in.

"Doctor what's happening?"

"I'm not sure I think she's having a panic attack." Hank replied.

He watched as one of the nurses rushed to look at the monitor behind the cylinder.

"Doctor her brain activity is all over the place. I think she's waking up."

Just as the nurse finished her statement, the subjects eyes opened and she started thrashing around in the cylinder, ripping off the monitoring devices attached to her body and bashing on the glass.

"Open the door" Hank demanded

"Sir the cylinder isn't drained yet."

"Open the damn door!"Hank yelled

The nurse hit the emergency button as Hank outstretched his arms as he caught the subject as she and the water fell out of the cylinder.

Hank gently lowered himself to the floor and cradled her in his arms as she coughed and gasped for breath. Once she stopped thrashing in his arms he removed his lab coat and covered her naked body.

He gently held her close and wiped the wet hair that was stuck to her face out of the way and looked into her eyes. He watched as she slowly moved her head as she opened and closed her eyes rapidly. When she started whimpering he gently rocked her in his arms and tried to comfort her.

"Shhh, Its okay, no one here is going to hurt you."

After a few moments she passed out in his arms.

"Nurse, get some towels and a hospital gown and prep the recovery room."

* * *

Perry marched down the corridor of the facility in a rush, his superiors were breathing down his neck, and they wanted to know if their money went to good uses. Half of this project was dedicated to finding out information from the subject's memory and the other half well that part was above his pay grade.

As he rounded the corner he saw Calvin and a nurse go into a room. Once Perry got to the doorway he saw the subject sitting on a bed huddled into the corner leaning against the wall and he saw the Doctor sitting at the edge of the bed taking notes with a clip board. He moved inside the room.

"Doctor, how's the progress?" Perry asked

He watched as the Doctor sat his clip board down and approached him

"Agent Perry now is not the time."

"Well you better make time my bosses want answers" Perry stated

"They are going to have to wait she's in a very delicate state right now. We are trying to determine her physical and mental health. Delving into her memory is the last thing on my mind right now" Hank stated

"Need I remind you Doctor that retrieving her memory is the main purpose of this project" Perry replied

"She's still developing, she was just born" Hank stated

"Born you make it sound like its human."

"She is human" Hank replied angrily

"That's debatable, now my bosses want to know if it's functioning properly ."

She watched as the two individuals started arguing and yelling. Their voices were causing her ears to hurt.

Her eyes drifted down to the object on the bed in front of her. She pushed it with her toe and a smaller object rolled off it. She picked it up. It was light and had a point at one end.

She stuck it in her mouth, but removed it, it didn't seem like it belonged there.

After staring at it for a few moments an air of familiarity surrounded her. She made a fist and gripped it. She turned towards the wall and moved it in circles and watched as dark lines appeared.

Then as if it where natural she began writing letters that formed a word. It was her word.

The nurse shook her head as she watched the agent argue with Dr. Calvin. If they didn't settle down they were going to upset the subject.

Out of the corner of her eyes the nurse saw movement when she turned around she gasped in shock. She slowly moved over to the doctor, who was still arguing with the agent, and tried to get his attention

"Doctor? Doctor!" when he didn't respond she yanked his arm

"What,What is it?"

"Doctor look" the nurse stated as she pointed to the bed.

They all stood in silence as they watched her write on the wall.

Hank slowly made his way over to her and sat on the bed as he watched her.

"Sweetie, what word is that?" Hank questioned as if he were talking to a child. When she turned and looked at him confused, he pointed to the letters that spelled out her name and repeated his question.

"Do you know what word that is?"Hank questioned

She looked back at the word and nodded. He almost jumped for joy when she started speaking.

"Ja..Ja..Joo..See…Lee..Ann,….Joo-See-Lee-N."

Hank smiled at her and wondered if this was the feeling that every parent had when they heard their child speak for the first time.

"That's really good, and do you know who that is."

He watched her nod her head and then point to herself. Hank felt tears in his eyes as he held her hand.

He did it, he created life, he did the impossible, and he brought a person back from death. He gently touched her face

"Yes that's right. That is you, your name is Jocelyn."

* * *

**AN: Metempsychosis-the transmigration of the soul, especially the passage of the soul after death from a human or animal to some other human or animal body.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:Sorry the update took so long**

* * *

**II. Whole truth, half-truth and nothing but lies**

_4 months later..._

Sarah sat down in a metallic chair in a stark white room as two guards stood in opposite corners behind the patient. "Hello Jocelyn my name is Sarah Peters and I want to talk to you about the things you remember before your accident."

Sarah watched as Jocelyn looked at her and slowly nodded, Sarah let a disarming smile play across her face as she opened the black folder that was provided for her. Her employers wanted her to ask a specific number of questions and show the patient certain pictures and to record the patient's responses.

"Alright how about we start with some simple things first? If you get uncomfortable just let me know and we can take a break," Sarah stated

"What's your name and when and where were you born?" Sarah asked in routine fashion

"My name is Jocelyn, I can't remember my last name but I was born on March 7th in 1972 in Washington D.C. and then my parents moved to New York City."

"Do you remember what you did after you graduated high school?"

"Didn't have enough money to go to college so I joined the United States Army," Joss replied

"Do you remember your rank and job while you were in the Army?"

"No…all I remember is boot camp… and then lots of sand and heat," Joss replied in an unsure voice

"Do you remember what you did after the Army?"

"Not really…. I'm not sure… what I remember doesn't make sense," Joss replied in a skeptic tone

"What do you remember happening?"

"I…think that I…."

Sarah watched as Jocelyn's speech trailed off as she clinched her fist and started breathing harder as she look back and forth. Her body went ridged as the guards moved closer. Sarah held her hand up and signaled for them to step back, "It's okay Jocelyn…just take a few deep breaths."

Once she was visibly calmer, Sarah continued "It's okay to tell me what you remember."

"I remember…I think that…that I'm a bad person," Joss stated softly

Sarah raised her eyebrow wondering how she came to that conclusion. "Why do you think that you are a bad person Jocelyn?"

"Because the next thing I remember is me killing different people with a gun,"

Sarah sat back in her seat, she needed to consult her superiors before she proceeded, they could possibly use her memory lapse in their favor. She looked at her watch in mock show, "Okay, Jocelyn, we're going to take a quick break, it's almost lunch time and I'm sure your hungry, I'll see you back here as soon as your done eating."

Sarah watched as Jocelyn nodded and the guards escorted her out of the room. As soon as the door shut Sarah got up and knocked on the two way mirror. "Perry get your ass in hear and bring the laptop."

Sarah watched as Perry brought in the laptop and placed it on the table. Sarah moved around and sat down in front of the web cam and looked at Director Briggs face on the monitor.

"Director I'm sure you were listing to the interview, how do you want us to proceed?"Sarah questioned as she watched the Director of the NSA.

"The target objective is still the same I want you to use her to find out what she knows about the machine and the man who built it and where he's hiding," Briggs replied

"She thinks she's a bad person who kills random people; she doesn't remember that she was cop? How do you want me to approach the subject, should I tell her the truth or…something else?" Sarah stated

"No, we will use her jumbled memory to our advantage; Director Worth has informed me that we can use her to solve a problem that his agency believes is connect to our target objective," Briggs declared

Sarah snorted "What a surprise there, us having to clean up the CIA's messes."

"It's called inter-agency cooperation; we're all in this game together. Find out if you can get anything else out of her and then spin the truth. If she thinks she's a killer then make her believe that she was and that she works for us," Briggs ordered as he killed the web cam feed and the screen on the laptop went black.

Sarah sat back down after Perry left and put her concerned psychiatrist act back on as the guards escorted Jocelyn back into the room.

"I hope you enjoyed your lunch Jocelyn, now I'm going to ask you a few more questions and show you some pictures and I want you to tell me in you recognize the people in the photos?"

Sarah opened her folder and gently laid five pictures down on the table in front of her and watched as she looked at them.

Joss looked down at the pictures in front of her; the photos displayed the faces of three males and two females. Two of the males and one of the females stood out immediately to her.

She pulled the females photo down and looked at her almost deranged face. For some reason she wanted to call the woman Hanna. She moved her eyes to the next mans photo. She remembered him sort of, as flashes played in her head of her meeting him under a bridge at night as he handed her his dog, then all of a sudden she remembered a rotten stench and saw herself standing above a decaying body as the man's dog watched her.

In order to shake her vision of the dead body she moved to the next photo. Joss gently picked up the photo and stared at the man's blue eyes. He was certainly a handsome man, but there was something else about him and she couldn't place her figure on it.

She put the picture down and looked at the other two pictures. She didn't remember the other woman but she remembered pointing her gun at the man as they stood in a bathroom. _Was he a friend of hers? If so why would she point a gun at him? _Joss was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Sarah start speaking again.

"Do you recognize any of these people?" Sarah asked

"Sort of, in bits and pieces. Who are they? Do they know me?" Joss replied as she looked up at Sarah.

Sarah rearranged the photos and began to say aloud their names as pointed to their photos. "There current alias's are Harold Finch, Sameen Shaw, Samantha Grooves, this is a dirty cop who works for the NYPD whose name is Detective Lionel Fusco and this man right here, his name is John Reese."

"How do I know them?" Joss questioned

"Jocelyn you were right about the fact that you killed people but you're not a bad person, you are a NSA operative," Sarah stated as she sat back and folded her hands on the table.

"What!" Joss exclaimed in shock

"You were on an undercover assignment, these people seem familiar to you because you were assigned to infiltrate their terrorist organization and bring in their leader Harold Finch. Unfortunately your cover was blown and they used another dirty cop by the name of Simmons to kill you, luckily we were able to get to you before you bled out."

Joss felt her chest constrict and her vision blur, she couldn't believe it…she was a killer for the government. The people who felt so familiar to her had tried to kill her. Joss grabbed her head as the room began to spin. She shot up from her chair and grabbed her stomach as she threw up.

She felt arms catch her as she sank to the floor, as her vision began to fade in and out, the last things she remembered seeing was the men named Harold and John walking away from her as she lay on the ground staring up at a traffic light in a pool of her own blood.

Sarah watched as Jocelyn threw up and passed out. One of the guards laid her down on the ground and checked her pulse. Sarah stood up as Perry walked into the room.

"What now?" Perry asked

"Where's Dr. Calvin?"Sarah questioned

"He's at his home?" Perry replied

"Send an asset to kill him and destroy the house and any evidence of his research," Sarah ordered

"What are we going to do about the facility?" Perry asked, but he received his answer as he heard automatic gun fire and screams coming from the rest of the people employed at the facility.

"I want to make sure all the people who know about this project are dealt with," Sarah stated as she pulled out her gun and a syringe.

"Understood, what are you about to do?" Perry asked as he saw her cocked back her gun and put two bullets in each of the guard's.

Once the guards slumped to the floor dead, Sarah moved over to Jocelyn's prone body and stuck the syringe into her arm and emptied its contents "This cocktail of muscle relaxants, should keep her knocked out for 5 or 6 hours," Sarah replied as she gestured for Perry to come pick up the unconscious body.

"What are we going to do with her," Perry asked as he picked Jocelyn up.

"She's a ' trained killer' Perry, its time she got her skills back up to par and I'm sure that scar-face is bored out of her mind and will just love having a new pupil to train," Sarah remarked with a smirk.

Perry smirked "Careful Sarah, she might cut your tongue out and feed it to you if she hears you call her that."

Sarah snorted "Please, I'm not afraid of some half burned up former CIA lackey, she should be happy we were kind enough to give her a job after that little stunt she pulled in New York."

Sarah opened the door of the interrogation room as she and Perry made their way to the elevator stepping over dead bodies as they went.

* * *

John made his way into the library and handed the box of doughnuts to Shaw and the green tea to Harold "So Finch who's the new number?"

"Good morning to you too Mr. Reese, "Harold replied as he put the picture of their latest number on the board. "His name is Dr. Hank Calvin."

John looked at the man's photo "What kind of Doctor is he?"

"The crackpot kind, even Finch thinks he's crazy," Shaw stated as she wolfed down another doughnut

"I didn't say crazy Ms. Shaw; I simply said that his research is farfetched and eccentric,"Harold replied as he sat back down in front of his computer.

"Whatever anyone who talks about resurrection and robots is a nutcase in my book," Shaw stated.

John arched his eyebrow and moved closer to Harold "Robots?"

Harold turned to his computer and brought up one of lectures. "Not robots, Mr. Reese full body prosthetic's."

Once John was looking at the screen Harold hit play on the video.

_"Modern science and technology has led the way to amazing advancements for the human race. We can build robots that can think on their own, we can replace human limbs with almost life like substitutes. If a person is needs a new lung we can replace it, if a person needs a new heart we can replace it, we can replace almost every major organ in the human body. I want you to forget your religious convictions about life and death and I want you to think about what it truly means to be human, what makes us who we are? Some people will say it's a fictitious representation of mass the some people call a 'soul', but I believe that our soul, the very essence of our personality is located in our brains. It is the brain that tells our body to live and breathe. I hope to one day show the world that in time with the right technology we humans can become immortal. Even after clinical death our brain still functions, our mortality is slowly based on the limitations of our bodies. If a person can replace their body in the same fashion that we replace organs we can hope to one day transcend death."_

John looked at the screen and then back at Harold "I might have to agree with Shaw on the nutcase part Finch."

Shaw put down the empty box of doughnuts and grabbed her jacket and gun."See I told you Finch, he's delusional... 100 bucks says he's probably doing some weird Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde shit in his basement."

"Whatever Dr. Calvin is up to, the machine believes he is relevant enough to investigate, I've sent the location of his home to your phones, but do keep in mind that the Doctor could very well be a victim in this situation," Harold replied

Harold watched as John and Shaw left the library, he felt a sense of relief today, Mr. Reese seemed to be slowly recovering from Detective Carter's death or at least he was getting better at hiding his pain and sadness. Harold let out a sigh; he certainly didn't realize just how much he valued Detective Carter's presence until she was gone.

It was such a shame, she was a good person and she most certainly didn't deserve for her life to be cut so short, if only the machine had reacted faster, maybe she would still be with them.


	3. Chapter 3

**III. Countdown**

Sam tapped her ear as she and John looked at Calvin's prone body slumped over his study desk "Finch were too late, Calvin's dead….It looks like he killed himself, single gunshot to the head..looks like he's been dead a few hours…I didn't know your machine cared about people who commit suicide?"

"That can't be the reason why the machine gave us Dr. Calvin's number…it's impossible. I didn't design the machine to observe self harm unless the person's actions directly led to the harm of another person," Finch replied puzzled.

"Your right Finch, we didn't get Calvin's number because of a suicide…he was murdered…and from the looks of it, professionally," John stated as he tilted his head and looked closer at Calvin's left hand.

"How'd you figure that?"Shaw replied as she watched John.

"If Calvin willingly shot himself I doubt he'd have a thumb tap bruise on his hand."

"Thumb tap?" Finch questioned.

"It's a type of stun technique that utilizes the pressure point between the thumb and the pointer figure..It can be painful but it's usually used to distract," John replied.

Shaw looked at the thumb sized bruise on Calvin's left hand "Distract enough for the perpetrator to force Calvin's figure onto the trigger?"

"If it's done right and the person has the proper training." John stated as he began looking around Calvin's desk.

"What kind of training, Mr. Reese?" Finch questioned.

"The kind of training that I went through," John replied.

"So what the CIA or an independent group took Calvin out? Why?" Shaw stated.

John looked at Shaw and shrugged his shoulders as he walked out of the study into the rest of the house.

"Is there any clue as to why anyone would want Dr. Calvin dead?" Finch asked as he turned towards his computer and brought up Calvin's most recent bank transactions and phone calls.

"Not that I can see…his study is pristine…I can't tell if he had a laptop or files in here, if he did who every killed him probably took it with them." Shaw replied as she moved out of the study.

"I'm going over Dr. Calvin's recent phone calls and over a one hour time period he made a call to an office building in Manhattan, then to a home address in the upper east-side and then he placed 4 calls to a cell phone number. All the numbers have one person's name in common, an Elizabeth Harris."

"Who's she? Friend? Lover?" Shaw asked as she walked into the kitchen and watched as John moved around opening and closing cabinets and the refrigerator.

"She seems a bit young to be involved with Dr. Calvin in that fashion Ms. Shaw."

Sam smirked, "Ever hear of Hugh Hefner or a 'Sugar Daddy' Finch."

A distasteful frown graced Harold's face "Unfortunately I have Ms. Shaw, though I doubt she is in need of Dr. Calvin's money it seems that Ms. Harris is quite wealthy in her own right. She's an independent billionaire. She's quite an impressive lady she holds multiple degrees from Harvard, Yale and Columbia. She was even featured in Forbes Magazine as a business prodigy and she's quite the philanthropist, although she doesn't voice her charitable donations, she personally finances over a hundred soup kitchens in New York, but most of her focus is directed to Orphanages and child care programs. On top of owning independent companies she is also the CEO of Dynamic Systems."

"So she's a walking brain with a bleeding heart?" Shaw asked.

"Depends on who you ask, her colleagues and the public rarely know that she gives back. Within the business world she doesn't have such a saintly image; she is quite the ruthless business woman, shes spear headed multiple hostile takeovers and buyouts. Three years ago when she took over the position of CEO of Dynamic Systems, the former CEO, Luke Myers referred to her in the press as a 'Shedevil in a nice suit, and a heartless thief with a power complex'," Finch stated.

"What's Dynamic Systems?" John questioned.

"It's a private defense firm, her company provides everything from body armor to supplying the materials required for developing battleships and advanced tactical weaponry."

"That's strange, why would a crackpot doctor try and contact Harris?" Shaw asked.

"It gets stranger; I don't think Calvin has been in his house for quite some time. His fridge is mostly empty except a gallon of milk that expired back in 2013 and there is a lot of dust on things that a average person would come into contact with on a daily bases ,"John stated.

"Should we try and questioned Harris or break into her home and snoop around?" Shaw asked.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Shaw that will be impossible; Ms. Harris is currently out of the country on business until the end of next month. At this point there doesn't seem to be anything we can do until Ms. Harris returns to New York."

"So what do we do about the dead Doctor?" John questioned.

" I have contacted Detective Fusco and informed him of the situation. Ms. Harris seems to be our only connection and given the line of work she's in approaching her estate unannounced will more than likely draw unwanted attention to our activities, to my knowledge Ms. Harris' s life is not in danger. I have reviewed her financials and she hasn't made any unusually payments or deposits to suggest that she has any connection to Dr. Calvin's death." Harold replied.

John and Shaw back tracked their step as they exited Calvin's home and made their way to Finch's parked car.

"That was a bust. What do we do now?" Shaw asked with a board tone as she slumped into the passenger's seat.

"Sadly, we were too late to help Dr. Calvin, we will have to let Detective Fusco investigate the crime. I will keep tabs on Ms. Harris, in the meantime we will continue business as usual and respond to any other numbers that come up," Harold stated.

* * *

Elizabeth sat down at a small café outside her hotel, as she waited for the corporate jet to be prepped for her next departure. She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard her cell phone ring. "Dr. Cassidy, thank you for calling me back so soon, I don't think that the matter is anything serious but Hank contacted me … I know you're busy with your own projects but he asked me to send you a flash drive containing some research he did…No, I don't know what it's on…I don't have the drive on me now, I'm currently overseas and I won't be back until the end of next month...Ok, thank you Dr. Cassidy... I'll send you the flash drive when I get back home."

Elizabeth hung up her cell phone and continued eating her lunch as she thought about what was so important that her Godfather contacted her after almost a year of no communication.

* * *

Joss stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror,although she was assured that their was nothing wrong, she still felt off about the differences between her eyes. Her right pupil was larger than her left pupil, if she looked close enough she could see a small dark spec in the center that was slightly darker than the rest of her pupil. She had asked the doctor why her right eye looked different but he said it was just a natural occurrence and she shouldn't worry about.

She sighed as she looked at her watch she had fifteen minutes before Agent Perry came to get her. When she woke up, after she passed out she was in a different facility, one that was owned by the NSA. They debriefed her on the events that culminated in her attempted murder and they had informed her of her full name.

After her psych evaluation and her psychical exam she was given the okay to begin her training and reconditioning. Apparently her employers wanted her back in the field because the terrorist group that tried to kill her was becoming active again and they wanted her to find and capture the ring leader, a man named Harold Finch.

Joss flicked the light off in her bathroom and moved back out to the bedroom. She was kind of nervous to meet her instructor; apparently the lady had a reputation for being crazy. Joss finished putting on her workout sweats and was in the process of lacing up her tennis shoes as she heard her door open.

"Are you ready to go Carter?" Perry asked.

Joss nodded her head and followed Perry out of the room and down the hall toward the elevator. Once they were in the elevator Perry hit the button for the basement.

"Don't look so nervous Carter, she's not as bad as Sarah made her out to be," Perry replied with a smirk as he touched her shoulder.

"Easy for you to say you don't have to spend the next 6 weeks with her," Joss fired back.

"Just listen and follow her orders and you'll do fine," Perry stated as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened and Perry gestured for her to step off the elevator.

Joss looked around the training and conditioning area, the entire room was missive, there were numerous amounts of workout equipment and the entire gym floor was covered by blue padded floor mats. Joss stopped her roaming as she spotted a woman in a black tank top sitting cross legged on the ground, her back was facing towards them and she was fiddling with something. Joss was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Perry' s voice.

"She's here…and try to be nice," Perry stated as he addressed the woman sitting on the floor. Joss watched as the woman raised her hand and flipped Perry the middle figure without turning around.

Joss turned around and looked at Perry as he stepped back into the elevator. She watched as he leaned against the back wall and smiled at her.

"Like I said follow instructions and you'll do fine Carter...oh and try not to say anything about the burn scars…she's a little sensitive about those." Perry remarked as the doors closed and he left her to her fate.

Joss's panic attack was interrupted when she heard the woman speak again.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Joss hesitated a moment then slowly made her way over to the woman. When she was a few feet away the woman stood up leaving a hand gun on the floor. As Joss stood behind her she watched as the taller woman put her hair in a messy pony tail.

While she was putting her hair up Joss's couldn't stop her eyes from looking at the healed over burn scars that ran completely up her right arm into the right side of her neck. When the woman turned around Joss had to control her expression as she looked at the woman's face.

Extending from her right arm up the right side of her neck were slightly red ripples of skin from a burn. She realized now why Sarah called her two faced. Although her right check, ear and forehead were scared from burns the left side of her face was unblemished. Joss was brought out of her staring as she heard the woman clear her throat.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to stare..I just never….uhm…never mind…I'm Jocelyn Carter." Joss stuttered out as she extended her hand to greet the woman.

Joss watched as the woman looked at her before she smiled and grabbed her hand. Before Joss knew what was happening, the woman yanked her forward. Joss felt a fist strike her chest, her throat and finally her nose before her legs were swiped out from beneath her. As soon as her back hit the mat the woman knelled down on her stomach.

When her head stopped spinning, Joss finally looked up and at the woman and saw her smirking as she held a gun to her forehead. As she lay on her back Joss felt blood run down her nose and slide down her cheek.

"It's so nice to meet you, Jocelyn, I'm Kara."


	4. Chapter 4

**IV. Seeing Ghosts**

_Six weeks later… Beckley West Virginia… 6:00AM_

Kara sat down in the chair across from Perry as she dropped the progress folder onto the table.

"So how is Carter doing?" Perry asked.

"Well enough," Kara replied.

"What about physically and mentally? Is she ready for field work?"Perry asked.

"Physically she's performing above average, her reflexes are remarkable well developed and her marksmanship is amazing. I looked at her old Army file, she just barely qualified as a Sharpshooter, but now she's in the expert range. But I guess having a robotic eye would give anyone that advantage.

Kara grinned when Perry glared at her," Don't worry Perry I follow orders, she doesn't know about her government financed body modifications…but unfortunately you're going to have a difficult time making her into a mindless superhuman killing machine, she still has a conscious. During her field range tests her first instinct was to wound instead of kill."

"Has any other developments occurred, specifically, anything out of the ordinary?" Perry asked.

"You mean anything inhuman like," Kara responded sarcastically as Perry glared at her.

Kara rolled her eyes and continued, "No nothing yet, she performing within the limitations of a human body….. the mind is a powerful tool Perry, I doubt she will exhibit what you're looking for until she's fully aware of what her new body can do ….since I'm speaking about the mind, I think she might be remembering things."

"What do you mean?"Perry replied warily.

"She stares off into space a lot and mumbles randomly," Kara stated.

"Do you think she remembers who she is? Who you are?" Perry asked.

"I doubt it," Kara replied.

"Why do you say that?" Perry questioned.

"I doubt John ever told her what I looked like and I'm pretty sure she never saw my face that night I killed that FBI agent. I honestly thought she was dead after I ran the FBI vehicle off the road. Between the time it took me to kill the agent and removed John from the wreck, she didn't move an inch," Kara replied nonchalantly as she shrugged her shoulders.

Perry stood up and dropped a black folder on the table in front of Kara "Her name's Elizabeth Harris, it's come to our attention that she might have knowledge of some sensitive information, we want you to retrieve it. Get Carter prepared, you two have a new assignment."

Kara watched as Perry left the room; once he was gone she opened the folder and examined the contents, a sinister smirk spread across her face. They were going to New York, _Maybe if they were lucky they'd run into John and his little friends_ Kara thought as she stood up and walked out of the room to get her new partner.

* * *

_Old Westbury, New York…8:00PM_

"Ms. Harris is in the center of the ballroom and she doesn't appear to be showing signs of distress or have knowledge that her life might be in danger." Harold replied as he watched the live streaming security feeds of the gala.

"Do you know if the threat to Harris has anything to do with the Doctor's death 6 weeks ago?"John asked as he linked arms with Shaw and led her into the ballroom.

"I haven't the faintest idea Mr. Reese, Detective Fusco said the case is still filed under a suspicious death and is virtually a cold case due to the lack of evidence. But if Ms. Harris is involved, perhaps whoever's after her is responsible for Dr. Calvin's death," Harold stated.

"I really don't care who's involved with what, I just want to shoot somebody and go home, these heels are already hurting my feet," Shaw exclaimed as she shifted uncomfortably.

John smirked as he looked at Shaw's miserable face as she stood limply next to him. Before he could open his mouth to commit on Shaw's scowl a familiar voice interrupted.

"What a surprise to see you two here."

John's back stiffened slightly as he let go of Shaw's arm and turned around, "Hello Zoe."

"Hello to you too John, it's been a awhile, so who are you impersonating this evening," Zoe remarked with a knowing smile as she glanced between John and Shaw.

"John Rooney and his wife" John replied as he gestured towards Shaw.

"You're not stepping out on me, are you John?" Zoe asked as she smiled at John.

"Please, you can have him he's a pain in the ass," Shaw replied as she let out an unladylike snort. Sam watched as Zoe and John looked at one another, she rolled her eyes and moved toward the finger foods.

John watched as Shaw made a bee line towards the food leaving him alone with Zoe.

"Zoe you look nice this evening," John replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"John, looking dapper as always," Zoe replied as she smiled and hooked her arm around John's and walked towards the opened glass doors that led out onto the terrace.

Once they were outside Zoe removed her arm from Johns. "It's been a while John."

John let out a sigh and leaned onto the railing and looked out towards the skyline of the city, "Things have been…difficult lately."

Zoe was no fool, she knew exactly why John was avoiding her and although she had never been the type to dwell on anybody, she couldn't stop herself from wondering how John was doing, especially since Detective Carter had been killed.

Zoe let a solemn expression roam across her face, she had known that John held Jocelyn in very high regards, but she never had suspected that his feelings for the Detective ran deeper than friendship. "I know now might not be the most opportune time to bring this up John, but I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to avoid me,"

"Zoe I can't…"

"You don't need to say anything John, I understand where we stand. I just want you to know that I do consider you a friend and I still care about your wellbeing," Zoe stated softly as she placed her hand on Johns shoulder.

John closed his eyes momentarily as he turned around and gently grabbed Zoe's hand.

"Zoe…thank you. I really do appreciate all the things you've done me and I'm sor….." John began to say as a rhythmic slow clapped interrupted him.

"Awee…John that's so sweet…I think I need a tissue."

As soon as he heard her voice an ice cold shiver shot down his spin and he turned around and positioned Zoe behind him.

John reached for his gun as she walked out of the shadows.

"How rude of you lover aren't you going to introduce me."

John's jaw line hardened as he clenched his teeth, "Kara."

Kara glanced at Zoe then back at John as she slowly sipped her Champaign.

"Oh don't be so tense John, I'm not here to kill you," Kara stated as she casually leaned against the railing.

"Then what are you here for ," John demanded as he looked around the party trying to spot any CIA agents.

"Oh don't worry John there's no agents' lurking in the shadows," Kara replied.

John narrowed his eyes at Kara not trusting a word out of her mouth,"If you're not here for me, then why you are here?"

"Not everything is about you John." Kara smirked as she looked at Zoe.

"Zoe Morgan..Right?"Kara questioned.

"Leave her out of this, she has nothing to do with you or me" John stated firmly.

"Oh but she does…just being around you is a death sentence….but if you're lucky, you might just get away with a few scars," Kara replied as she push her hair out of her face, revealing the burn scars.

"What do you want Kara?" John asked as he looked at Kara's scared face.

"Not much I just thought I'd give your friend here fair warning before it's too late for her," Kara replied with a chuckle as she watched John try to keep his anger in control.

"Oh come now John, I think she'd rather be a pushed aside lover than end up like Jessica ...or your lady cop friend….what was her name again…oh yes, Jocelyn," Kara remarked.

John's trigger finger twitched as Kara callously mentioned Jessica and Joss to him.

"When I first found out about your Detective friend I was honestly a little shocked, I never pegged you as the interracial type…though you must not of cared to much about her…I mean her body was barely in the ground before you were off gently caressing the face of innocent little flight attendants ... I'm surprised you haven't moved onto your new partner yet, she's a pretty young thing," Kara replied with a smirk as she watched the rage build in John's eyes.

"Reese does have looks, but I personally prefer my men with less emotional baggage," Shaw replied as she walked up out onto the terrace and shoved her gun into Kara's back.

Kara smiled and held her hands up as she watched from the corner of her eyes as Shaw moved around in front of her and walked backwards towards John.

"So you're the old CIA partner, heard you were dead" Shaw replied as she glared at Kara.

Kara smiled "It's funny how that phrase rarely ever applies to people in our line of work."

"If you're not here to off John, then why are you here…and keep in mind that I'm not as patient as John, I'll put a bullet in your head if I don't like your answer." Shaw threatened as she cocked her gun.

Kara chuckled "I have a feeling we're here for the same reason you two are."

"Whose we?" John asked.

Kara turned her eyes back onto John and smiled as she lowered her hands to her side, "You're not the only one with a new job and partner John…but I can see that you haven't changed much Boy Scout, didn't I always tell you to keep your eyes on your target."

John and Shaw looked at one another, and then looked back into the ballroom; as they noted that Harris was no longer in the middle of the room.

They both turned back towards Kara who smirked at them.

"Finch do you see where Harris went?" John asked as he and Shaw backed Zoe back into the ballroom. Once they were back inside, they closed the terrace doors and locked Kara outside.

"She's standing 50 feet to your left in the corner next to the exit, there's a woman wearing a blue dress gripping her forearm, I can't see the other woman's face, but Ms. Harris looks frightened." Harold replied as he watched the security camera.

* * *

Kara watched as John and his partner shut and locked the doors, she smirked and tapped her ear, "Grab Harris and meet me at the car out front Carter, if they try to stop you, shoot them."

Kara removed her heels and ripped the hem of her dress. Once she heard Carter confirm her orders, she hauled herself over the edge of the balcony and dropped the ten feet down onto the patio below and made her way back around to the front of the mansion.

* * *

John and Shaw moved across the ballroom as they watched the woman in the blue dress lead Harris out of the party. As they rounded the corner they drew their weapons, "Stop right there!"

John watched as the woman in the blue dress stopped moving down the hallway.

"Now let the woman go and maybe, we'll let you keep your knee caps," Shaw remarked as she pointed her gun at the woman.

John felt his heart stop and his blood run cold as he watched the woman in the blue dress turn around. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, it was impossible, she was dead, and he watched her die.

Joss watched as the terrorist named John Reese and Sameen Shaw stood stark still, limply holding their guns as they stared at her.

Joss decided to take advantage of their shock, and let a devilish smirk run across her face, "What's the matter, you both look like you've seen a ghost."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry this took so long my computer crashed and i lost my chapter,so i had to rewrite it and i still feel like its not as good as the orgnial...*sigh*... but the show must go on..**

* * *

_**V. Delirium**_

Taking advantage of their surprise, Joss removed the 22 strapped to her thigh and opened fire. Once they ducked for cover she grabbed Harris by the hair and pulled her out the front door.

As they made their way down the steps a black Lincoln Town Car pulled in front of them. Joss threw open the back door, shoved Harris in and slid after her. As soon as the door shut Kara sped out of the gravel driveway and towards the front gate.

Shaw rushed out the front door of the mansion just in time to see a black car rush out the front gate. When she turned around she saw John standing behind her with a lost and confused look on his face.

"Finch what the hell was that?" Shaw replied as she tapped her ear piece while looking around their surrounds for anymore surprises.

Finch sat at his computer staring at the screen after witnessing the assailants getting away with their number. Harold felt his breath hitch and his chest tighten while he remembered the last time he saw the woman in the blue dress.

'_No! Not today…where's my boy please tell him….John don't let this….'_

Finch felt tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he whispered back "I….I…don't know?"

"Finch I need you to track that car down, license plate FLB-4023," Shaw sighed as she heard police sirens in the distance, she looked back towards John, as he stood stock still, staring at where the car had disappeared, "Reese! The police are on their way, we need to go."

* * *

"Who are you people and what do you want?"Harris asked in a panic.

"Where's the flash drive?" Joss demanded sternly as she sat in the back seat staring at Harris.

Elizabeth nervously looked at the woman sitting next to her, "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wrong answer", Joss replied while reaching out her hand and slamming Harris's head back against the car window.

"Now I'll ask you again. Where is the flash drive?" Joss demanded as she pressed the barrel of her gun into Harris's knee cap.

"It's at my home! In my study!" Elizabeth replied with her eyes closed in fright.

Joss removed her gun from Harris's knee and sat back quietly and faced forward, as Kara headed towards Harris's home.

Kara came to a stop in front of Harris's home after forty five minutes of driving. As she opened the back door she yanked Harris out of the car and shoved her towards the house.

Kara kept her eyes alert as she and Carter waited silently for Harris to remove her keys and open the front door.

"Where's the flash drive?" Kara demanded as she closed the front door and pointed her gun at Harris.

"It's upstairs, in the safe inside my study." Harris replied nervously.

"Carter, go with her and get the flash drive. You have ten minutes." Kara commanded as she turned off the lights in the foyer and positioned herself beside the front windows as lookout.

* * *

Carter grabbed Harris by the upper arm and directed her up the stairs, once they reached the hallway; she followed Harris down the hall and into the study.

"Get the flash drive," Joss demanded as she stood near the door.

Harris quickly moved to her safe, using her finger print as she opened the door and pulled out a small flash drive. Elizabeth turned around and faced the woman who had kidnapped her from the party.

Curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had looked at the contents of the flash drive. At first she hadn't been sure, but now that she saw the woman in clear light, she realized who she was dealing with.

"The Metempsychosis Project," Elizabeth began hesitantly as she locked eyes with the woman.

"What?" Joss replied as she moved slowly towards Harris to take the flash drive.

"It's called the Metempsychosis Project. It was headed by my Godfather Doctor Hank Calvin."

Joss narrowed her eyes as she remembered the doctor who over saw her recovery and who had treated her like she was his own child.

Seeing the flash of recognition run across the woman's face, Harris continued "It's a government funded blackout project started at the end of last year..."

"I don't care. Hand me the flash drive!" Joss replied as she moved towards Harris.

"You should care because you were the governments test subject, your names Jocelyn Carter! Right?" Harris asked frantically.

Joss stopped her advance on Harris as she looked on with confusion and skepticism as Harris mentioned her full name.

"I looked at the contents of the flash drive, it's a copy that my Godfather made and he sent it to me almost 7 weeks ago, before he mysteriously died." Harris stated in a rushed tone.

Joss's eyes widen, 'T_hey had told her that the Doctor had been reassigned_. _He was dead._ _Why would they lie to her?',_ Joss wondered as she looked at Harris.

* * *

"Are you sure they're still inside Harris's home Finch?" Shaw questioned as she and Reese exited the car outside the front gate of Harris's property.

"Yes Ms. Shaw, Ms. Harris's home security system was activated fifteen minutes ago," Finch replied.

"Can you tell how many people are in her home?" Shaw asked as she opened the trunk of the car pulling out a bullet proof vest and strapping it on.

"Unfortunately no, Ms. Harris only has external security cameras but the car that fled the scene, is idling outside the front door still running." Harold replied as he overviewed the external camera footage.

"Thanks Finch," Shaw replied while she loaded her gun and shoved an extra clip of bullets into her pocket. As she reached for another clip, she saw that Reese hadn't moved to suit up.

"Reese! You need to pull yourself together. We don't know how many of them are in there and I'm not trying to die tonight because you don't have your head in the game," Shaw demanded as she glared up at John.

Shaw watched as he finally started getting ready while he ignored her. Once he was ready, he shut the trunk and started moving towards the front gate.

Shaw reached out her hand and grabbed John's forearm, "Listen, I need to know now that you can do your job if you see whoever the hell your former CIA partner has with her."

John jerked his arm out of Shaw's grasps and narrowed his eyes at her "I know how to do my job Shaw; I don't need you to remind me."

Shaw glared at John as he marched away towards the house. Shaw ignored Reese's behavior, if he wouldn't take the shot she would if she had too.

Shaw tapped her ear piece, "Finch I need you to cut all the power to Harris's premise."

* * *

Kara leaned against the wall as she carefully looked out the window for any uninvited guests. She couldn't stop the frown on her face as she looked at her unused gun. Harris was lucky that she was so valuable to private defense contractors or she would have already been dead.

Kara's thoughts were disrupted she saw the flood lights in the front yard go out. A smile spread across her face as she heard the silent hum of the air conditioner shut off. She tapped her ear piece as she calmly backed away from the windows towards the back of the house.

Joss stared at Harris trying to see if she were telling the truth but before she could respond, Kara's voice buzzed in her ear.

"We have company Carter, get the flash drive and lets go."

As soon as she heard her orders Joss quickly approached Harris, grabbed the flash drive and hastily made her way out the study and down the hall towards the staircase.

Before she could make her way any further down the stairs two bullets pierced through the front door at knee level, before it was kicked in. Joss crouched down on the stairs and fired out the open door. Out the corner of her eyes she watched as Kara headed out the back, once Kara was clear, Joss headed back up the stairs. As she moved down the hallway she opened one bedroom door leaving it slightly ajar, before she moved across the hall to the other bedroom. Joss closed the door silently and stood in wait.

* * *

Once the shots ended, he and Shaw moved into the house. John moved up the stairs as Shaw moved further into the house. As he reached the top of the stairs he slowly crouched down and cleared the hallway before he continued on.

As he moved further down the hall he came to stop at a door that was slightly ajar as he pushed the door open, he quickly stepped inside and checked the room. Before he could react he felt the pressure of a foot strike the back of his legs.

As he sunk to his knees he felt an arm move around his throat. John swiftly grabbed the back of his assailant's legs and rolled onto his back, trapping the person choking him between himself and the floor. John reared up and slammed the person into the floor until their choke hold loosened. Once they let go he quickly removed the knife strapped around his ankle and pinned the person beneath him with the knife to their throat.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the dark room, his breath hitched in his throat as he stared back into a pair of familiar brown eyes surrounded by an even more familiar face.

"Joss?" John whispered as he looked into her eyes, as he removed the knife he had pressed against her throat.

Once the man removed the knife from her throat, Joss struck her hand across his face .When she tried to hit him a second time he stopped her fist and pined her arms to the ground.

"Joss! Stop! It's me John. What are you doing?" John questioned as he tried to still her movements.

"Trying to stop you and your terrorist friends," Joss replied as she continued to struggle underneath him.

"What?" John exclaimed in complete confusion as Joss glared at him.

"Joss what are you talking about? Who told you that?" John asked in a baffled tone as he looked into her eyes.

"Joss I don't know who you're getting your information from, but they're lying to you. Don't you remember us? Any of us? You helped us save people. Joss please remember. What about your family? Your son?" John blurted out in a desperate pleading tone as he looked into her eyes, silently begging her to remember her life.

Joss closed her eyes as her head began to hurt as jumbled thoughts began to cloud her focus, _'You didn't give us a name…I always pictured you in the back of my car...'_

John let go of her arms and gently touched her face as she squeezed her eyes shut and her face contorted in pain.

When she felt a hand on the side of her face, the memories and voices stopped. When she opened her eyes again she was staring back into, what looked like, genuinely concerned blue eyes. Taking advantage of his guard being down, Joss grabbed the discarded knife on the floor and jabbed it into the man's thigh.

John reared back in pain as Joss stabbed him in the side of his thigh. Before he could get his bearings he felt the push of her feet on his chest as she shoved him off her.

Once she was unpinned Joss got to her feet and headed for the doors that lead onto the balcony. Without glancing back, she threw open the doors and rushed to the railing. As she looked over the edge she saw the pool, she quickly heaved herself up and over the railing and dropped into the pool below.

John slowly sat up clutching his chest in pain as he gasped for air; Joss's kick to his chest felt like a sack of bricks hit him. Once he refocused he looked towards the open balcony doors and slowly heaved himself up off the ground and limped out onto the balcony. As he looked over the edge he saw the recently disturbed surface of the pool.

John leaned onto the balcony and closed his eyes as he tried to grasp what just happened, his mind wasn't playing tricks on him she wasn't a look alike or an imposter, it was his Joss and she was working with Kara.

John looked down at the knife protruding from his thigh, determining that it wasn't near anything vital, he quickly inhaled and ripped it out.

As he looked into empty backyard of Harris' home he didn't know what hurt more; the knife he just ripped out of his thigh, the kick to his chest, or his heart.

Joss was alive, she was alive and she didn't remember anything. She didn't remember who she was, she didn't remember her family or friends, and she didn't remember him.


End file.
